The highlight of the Indian leg of this year's Indian Premier Tennis League (IPTL) was the encounter between Roger Federer playing for UAE Royals and Rafael Nadal representing Indian Aces. Though Federer manages to take Nadal to the limit in singles; Nadal manages to win the match for Indian Aces. Almost 10,000 people turned up for the blockbuster encounter and brought the house down the second year in a row when Federer's name was announced. Rafa's fan base is not small by any stretch of the imagination as he got the second loudest cheer.
Federer teamed up with 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic, also making his first appearance for the UAE team this season, for the men's doubles clash against Nadal and India's Rohan Bopanna. It was Bopanna though who rose head and shoulders above the three other stars in action in the doubles clash - instrumental in getting the crucial break on the Federer serve in the eighth game of the set.
Federer, playing his first match in the league this year, looked rusty as he took time to get used to the court. “Rafa has played a few matches on this court right?“ Federer asked the UAE team captain mid-way through his singles match as Rafa went up with an early break. Nadal, who has beaten Federer in 23 matches out of the 34 between the two, ruled the day as well.
Nadal broke Federer not once but twice in the set to make it the Aces' night all the way. The Swiss maestro had another ace in his bag, breaking Nadal just as he was serving for the set - a backhand down the line to bring up two break points was his shot of the match. The Spaniard didn't make any mistake in the shoot-out closing it out 7-4.
The Indian team though continued their table-topping run, easing to a 30-19 win over UAE - making it three out of three in their home leg.
